Primary care symptoms and conditions

My husband was hospitalized with pneumonia on July 14, 2008. He was given Avelox via IV in the hospital and a 7 day pill prescription when he came home. Even in the hospital, he complained of muscle aches, but no one keyed on the antibiotic as an issue. When his breathing was better, he assumed he should try to do physical activity...but when he tried to play some golf one day, and do a little deck staining another, he payed for it with severe joint pains...even then, no doctor said anything about the antibiotic. He has lost over 25 lbs since this began, and has lost absolutely all muscle tone in his body..

He's stopped trying to do anything, but the last month has been terrible for him...every joint in his body hurts--he can hardly walk, there were days he couldn't lift a fork to his mouth with one hand... I brought him back into urgent care on Aug. 9th...that doctor was the first to mention that it could be a side effect of the Avelox he had taken 3 weeks before...

Since then, we have been to his primary care doctor, who doesn't think "the Avelox has anything to do with it. Now that I've googled it and seen the new FDA warning, I can't understand any way it wouldn't be at least part of the problem!

He's been give Vicodin for the pain, and they're running more tests, but I intend to go into the doctor with every thing I've seen on this..I don't have a problem with them using this medication for his pneumonia, but am so frustrated that they didn't tell warn us of this side effect--especially when he's tried to tell them what he's feeling.... I just think he would have been so much better by now if they would have switched him off of the drug as soon as he noticed the pain..

I was prescribed a 6 day pack of 4mg Methylprednisolone (Medrol) at the ER for an allergic reaction I was having to a gel that I used on my sking. The Medrol worked great at stopping the allergic reaction. My swelling, pain, and rash began to rapidly clear up. Unfortunately I began to have many side effects. On day 5 I was unable to get out of bed I was so tired and dizzy. I had a headache and mental confusion and unclear thinking. I called my primary care provider on a Sunday to ask if it is okay to stop taking the steroid. She said it was and that it was unlikely the medrol was causing my symptoms. She told me I had a virus. I told her the symptoms I was having were listed as side effects on the drug info sheet but she did not believe me. IA few days later I made an appointment to see a doctor, not the same one who took my phone call. This doctor said all of my symptoms were from the Medrol. She knew because of personal experience she saw in her mother who was also taking steroids. She told me medrol can cause a manic response or a depressive, the latter is what I was having. As part of my exam she wanted me to have blood work but said I should wait at least 2 weeks to allow the drug to get out of my system. It is now 19 days since my appointment and I am still having side effects: nausea, complete lack of appetite, dizzy, and tired all the time. I put a call in to my doctor today and am waiting to hear back. I am sorry that I took this medication, will never take again. How long will it take for this med to get completely out of my system so that I feel normal again?
A friend told me her mother had a manic episode on steroids. When I was younger I took steroids for a brief period and had much milder side effects.

I am so thankful I can end my search for what has been wrong with me. I have an indention in my right butt and now my hip and lower back are hurting and aching all the time! I have asked my ob and primary care doctor and everyone has been at a loss not knowing who to refer me on to. I can now put an end to that search but now am curious if anyone has filed a class action suit? I would like to be a part of it. I am a runner and now can not continue due to my lower back hip pain. I was never warned or told any side effects of this medication!! I am curious if this continues to get worse or if it will heal itself eventually. It has been a year ago since I was given the shot and nothing has changed! Is the drug in my system for this long to continue to worsen!?? Who can we talk to for justice!>??

Three days into the ultram 200mg, once a day, I experienced a "tonic clonic seizure" what is formally known as a grand mal seizure.

From what my husband tells me it was so severe that he had to call the paramedics. I don't remember the entire seizure at all. I faintly remember seeing 4 heads coming to me down the hallway, and that was all I remember. John, my husband told me that was the paramedics and the fire department. Since they did not see the seizure taking place I was not taken to the emergency room or hospital.

I do remember laying on the bed for 4 days after the seizure unable to move, eat or drink. I was completely exhausted. I've a follow up appointment with my primary care physician on Tuesday, as in required by law to be seen and I believe I may have to sign a paper requiring me not to drive for the next 6 months.

I'm worried to say the least. I'd never had a seizure before in my life and I'm 47 years old now. I'm still experiencing nausea, inability to eat...even though its been just 2 weeks since the seizure.

I have been going through depression and extreme exhaustion and not wanting to be alone in a room since the seizure. The abdominal pains feel almost like when a menstrual period will start, severe enough to make one bend over double and an aching inside as well. Having had a hysterectomy over 7 years ago, I know that is not the issue.

My husband was having gastrointestinal problems for about a week. The PA at his primary care physician's office prescribed Levaquin for 7 days. Blood taken ½ hr after Levaquin started showed liver levels to be a little high. By the 3rd or 4th day my husband was jaundiced. Blood taken on the 6th day revealed liver levels dramatically higher. He is still jaundiced and liver levels are still at the higher level. Had ERCP procedure, CT scan of abdomen and MRCP, but no conclusions other than stricture of bile duct and possibly pancreatic cancer, although a mass has not been seen on any film. Has this happened to anyone else on Levaquin? Doctors want to try ERCP again and if that does not work then the Whipple Procedure which is major surgery to remove a possible pancreatic cancer that they have not seen.

I'm experiencing some VERY concerning symptoms and have a feeling it might be from the Mirena. And my doctors think it's just stress! SOMEBODY HELP!

I had a baby 4 months ago and at my postpardom appointment I was talked into getting the Mirena. After I had it inserted it all started with severe cramping and light bleeding that still has not subsided. I have been suffering with chronic headaches, dizziness, and facial numbness. I've also had bouts of anxiety and leg cramping and recently starting to have pain in my neck and one of my lymph nodes on my left side has become present and tender to the touch.

I mentioned all the these symptoms to my OB/GYN and he said "it's NOT related to the Mirena, go to your Primary Care Dr. and get some tests done" Well, I did that, got a full CBC and had my thyroid checked and all of my blood work came back normal. My Dr. said I am stressed after having the baby and to get some rest. I really wanted to have a CT done but after reading this I am beginning to think it's the Mirena as I had not had any of these symptoms prior to the IUD. I think i'll make an appointment to have it removed.

Anyone ot there have any of my exact same symptoms???

Very disappointed...I became Hypoglycemic!

My story: I became Hypoglycemic within weeks of having the Mirena inserted. My symptoms were; anxiety, shakiness,irritability and nightmares.
I went to a primary care doctor and then to a endocrinologist complaining of that my blood sugar was becoming a problem. I was aware of the feeling of low blood sugar because when I breast feed my two boys (ages now 7 and 10) I then easily became hypoglycemic. However, I have not had this problem since.
Both physicians thought that i had reactive hypoglycemia because my fasting glucose was within normal limits.I have a healthy diet but i changed my eating habits even further (e.g. gave up all caffeine, sweets, alcohol. I started eating more whole grains and had small meals every 3 hours).
Even though I change my eating habits the side effects still became worse.I was starting to get panic attacks, I had never had these before. During one of my worst panic attacks (9 months after I had the Mirena inserted) I called my sister. I kept saying "I don't know what is causing me to be so anxious, I have never been like this before." Well, that statement sank in, I started to think about what was different. The only thing was the Mirena. That night I look up side effects of the Mirena and came across several blogs all describing their disappointment and many speaking about anxiety related issues.
I have to say I felt relief. It was not going crazy. The following day I read the official FDA Mirena web-site and that is when I found out about the effects on blood glucose. It is stated that Levonorgestrel may effect glucose tolerance and the blood glucose. However, my gynecologist never mentioned this side effect so I was not aware of this potential reaction. Btw, I had told both the primary care doctor and the endocrinologist that I had a Mirena IUD but neither of them new about the effects to the blood glucose.
The other interesting thing I noticed on the official FDA Mirena site is that when the list the Adverse reactions (depression,nervousness, weight gain etc...) they say reported by 5% or more subjects...hmmm, MORE...i think that is a key word!
I had it removed one month ago and I am starting to feel better. From what I understand, it may take up to 3 months to get the Levonorgestrel to get completely out of the system. however, my hypoglycemia is starting to diminish, I recently had a cup of coffee without getting the shakes and I can now enjoy a glass of wine at night too. My anxiety is almost completely gone.

What a relief to have figured this out!

PREDNISONE.... a word that is unknown to the naive and despised by the the knowledgeable. Before i begin i want to tell you that prednisone for lack of better word F***ed me up. So heres my story with the pill. About a year ago i was officially diagnosed with Minimal Change Disease, now remember i am eighteen at the time, and was prescribed prednisone to cure the disease. Now being unaware of the severity of the drug and disease i casually continued life while taking 80mg per day of prednisone. Well this was good and all because it did in fact put me in remission, but the side effects were starting go surface. My face ballooned up "moon face", started experiencing random series of depression, became insomniatic, and unfortunately gained several pounds. Well this was not the end of side effects as for me. I continued with the medication and after 6 weeks of 80 mg i began my 5 week course of 60mg. Then after that i started 4 weeks on 40 mg and began tapering 5 mg every 2-3 weeks afterwards. Toward the middle of 60 mg the drug started taking its toll on my body as my skin lost its elasticity so i started getting gruesome strecht marks all over my body. I also became constipated for whatever reason most probably prednisone was at fault. I became very frightened actually terrified so i started to research about the drug in hopes of finding ways to avoid some side effects. In doing my research i found out very disturbing information regarding prednisone. Along with all the side effects that i mentioned above, prednisone also causes cateracts, glacoma, diabetes via insulin resistance, and osteoporosis. Now these i consider as the more severe permanent side effects as the list unfortunately is much longer. Finding out about the side effects i became extremely paranoid and started a very strict diet to hopefully avoid some permenat side effects. I admit reading about the information on prednisone created my paranoia and/or possible phycosis which ultimately led to my stress which led to my severe depression. Now this wasn't any old type of depression, i was sersiouly in need of some help. Everyone around me could tell something was wrong and really i dont blame then for in fact i felt as if my soul had died, the very essence of my being. Now magin if you can someone taking away your youth from you, sucking the very life out of you... thats exactly how i felt. To add along with the depression my grades became a wreck in college as i dropped several classes, lost a friend, developed problems with my parents as they tired to help me, and disrespected family relatives with my uncontrollable mood swings. A few weeks in of dieting and exercising i lost a lot of weight (15-20 pounds). As far as side effects non had changed i still had to deal with all that was mentioned above especially with the fragile skin that was a real burden as i had even a few stretch marks on my face from sleeping on my side. At this point of my long and what seemed to be a never ending journey i become exteremly weak. My body had no energy to run on as i refused to eat and when i did eat it was either foods that are considered free foods or protein nothing else. Everything at this time had been taken away from me including smoking marijuana (marijuana drops blood sugar as this would cause me to start feeling faint and lightheaded), alcohol (same as marijuana drops blood sugar), and the fact that i was not comfortable in my own skin (literally). I was driving myself insane. Everyday i was behind the computer searching for more and more. I was obsessed and became my worst nightmare. Oh by the way half in the medication therapy i showed 1+ grams of protein in my urine which my doctor possibly thought it could have been a relapse. This news i did not take lightly i had lost it and was prepared of comiting suicide. I cant lie, i really did not want to live anymore i just wanted to end this and suicide seemed like a very real and convienent possibility. If it had not been for my parents talking to me giving me a 3 hour speech and lecture i do not know what i would have done. Suicide at that point became out of the question because i could not do this to my family. So i went and purchased urine dip sticks to monitor the protein. The doctor had given me a 2 week window or chance to get back into remission or else he was going to prescribe me cytotoxic agents aka chemo therapy drugs. This was horrible news to me. So as i monitored my protein i found out of a very interesting trend. I noticed that my protein levels in the afternoon were in fact positive for protein and were usually up and down as far as how much but in the mornings i noticed i was always negative. Now this give me a huge bit of hope because when in researching about MCD months earlier i found out that there is a coniditon called orthostatic proteinuria which affects mostly young adolecent males and is a condition described as for some unknown reason there is protein loss in the afternoon when the person is upright and active then when they are supine or laying down the kidneys do not allow any portein loss. This condition is in fact harmless. I was very happy from then news and i told my doctor, he was somewhat doubting, but i don't blame him he is looking out for my best interest, but sure enough after the 2 weeks had past i went in again for my appointment after testing and i was negative for protein as i had expected. We began tapering after that point and i continusouly monitored my own tests at home and eventually i got off the steroid, actually today is that day after a 9 month period of heartache and distress. You know people say that they went to hell and back in a hard moment in life, well i went to hell stayed there for 9 months then came back. I feel so everyone who as ever needed to take steroids for long periods of time, i know its tough but believe it as it is indeed a potent drug and in most cases a miracle drug. It gave me a second chance at life and no matter how hard it was or how much pain it put me through i cannot complain for it did in fact cure me and thats why i can never hold any grudges. So thats my story i kno its not pretty but what can i say it is indeed mine whether i like it or not.

Have been taking Lisinopril for approximately 6 months. Was previously taking Benicar, but insurance company strongly recommended the generic form.

Have experienced depression, eye problems, extreme leg pain, mood swings, sinus problems tightness in my chest, and severe rash and sores over my entire body.

Went to a dermatologist for the rash and sores. She took a biopsy and the report stated I was allergic to something. Had to use 4 anti-itch medications and 4 pills to be taken internally. Rash never did completely clear.

After having a nuclear stress test, my primary care physician referred me to a cardiologist. My left circumflex artery was 90% blocked, so a stent was inserted.

So I should be feeling alot better with all this being done. NO!! Have had more problems since the stent.

Am going today to the dermatologist again for the rash and sores and am taking the Lisinopril so when the biopsy is done, the lab can check to see if this is the culprit.

Also, am going to my PCP today for the leg and back pain. Am going to let him know I will not be taking Lisinopril anymore. An alternative blood pressure medicine will have to be prescribed.

Thanks for all the information. I will update my situation as soon as I know what is going on.

I am 20 years old and have been on Yaz for a year now. Before the Yaz I was on OrthoTriCylcen Lo for 3 years and tried a few others that didn't do well for me at other times. My Gyno prescribed me Yaz because I had heavy bleeding and intense pain every time my period comes, and I have been known to be very moody. I have a past medical history of heart problems and GI problems. My Gyno said Yaz could also help the anxiety from those issues. The first month into the Yaz I noticed horrible nausea, I couldn't eat anything, major stomach pain, headaches, very lethargic, back pain, leg pain, and increased anxiety. I went back to my Gyno about a week later because my pain was so bad and my bleeding was heavier and MORE painful. She said to give it a few months so my body can adapt and everything will be better. She then said that my other side effects (like nausea and back pain and anxiety) were unrelated and I needed to see my primary care physician. My mom told me to stop using the Yaz, but I decided I wanted to keep trying it. So no I see my primary physician once a month because I am so "sick." I am on like 10,000 meds to try and help everything. Even he doesn't think it could be the Yaz. There are days where my pain levels are so high that I cannot sleep or get out of bed. I have had blood work, MRIs, Sonograms, Colonoscopys, Ultrasounds, etc.. I am so tired of this. At this point I feel like the doctors think i'm a hypochondriac. I have an apt to see my gyno again (for the 5th time), i'm printing out this page and showing her i'm not crazy!

I removed my Mirena 10 days ago. I've had it for a little over a year. Within one month of having the IUD inserted I broke out in eczema all over my body. I didn't make the connection until about three weeks ago. I have been to many doctors in the last year, primary care, dermatologists, allergy doctors in order to figure out why I suddenly have eczema. I will report back on my eczema since it has only been 10 days since removal. However I have noticed a huge change in my mood since removal. I would get so angry to the point of rage at my 3 children for the trivial things on a daily basis and now I feel like I am the most patient person. Also, my sex drive has skyrocketed...before I had no interest in sex. Do not use the Mirena it is not worth it.

Recently I was prescribed bactrim for a staph infection. On the fourth day I developed a severe rash all over my body. Swelling of my feet and hands. By the time I got to the Dr. my blood pressure had dropped dangerously low and I nearly fainted. The Dr. gave me three shots, cortisone, prednisone and one other I cant remember. By that time my breathing was weak. So the Doctor sent me by ambulance to ER.During the five minute ride my pressure dropped really low again. The EMT started an IV. SInce Primary care Dr. had already taken steps to treat me, ER did very little other than keep watch of vital sighns and let IV finish. ER Dr. concluded it was do to bactrim. He prescribed prednisone and over the counter benadryl and sent me home. After taking prednisone rash seemed to get worse, noticed new rash behind ears and on the top of my head were lumps. Blood pressure has been spuradic at best, but not dangerous. It has been 24 hours now and no changes. My side effects include headache, backache, swelling of feet and hands, rash all over body, itching, raised welps on legs,arms,behind ears and on top of head. The swelling of my feet has went down but my hands are still swollen and sore to the touch. One question. There seems not to be much medicine to help this. I just have to let it run its course how long could the recovery take.

My daughter is 15 and on Thursday June 5, 2008 she received her second shot of Gardasil. A couple of hours later she complained of difficulty breathing. I took her to the ER where the doctors made me feel like I was crazy to think it was a reaction to the Gardasil shot. They said she might have asthma. They gave her a Nebulizer treatment that didn't help and sent her home with a prescription for Albuterol which too did not help. I took her in to see her Primary care doctor who said the same thing, it could not be the shot and diagnosed her with Bronchitis. She has no signs of bronchitis, no wheezing, cough or phlem. I then took her to see an allergist who again said the same thing, not the shot. He to said she may have bronchitis. They have given her 4 types of medication and none of them have helped. Today is day 10 and she continues to have difficulty breathing. Is there anyone else out there with these same symptoms?? If so I would really appreciate and advise you can give..

I'm 29, have been on birth control pills for 10 years, and switched to Yasmin about 2 years ago. I a small varicose vein in my right within 2 months of switching, but didn't think a relationship between my vasculature and the pill existed. I can now trace the entire vein from my right hip to my ankle. In the 2 years since starting Yasmin, my ankles and lower legs swelled heavily...but at very random times. It often began at the start of the 7-day sugar pill regime and finished by the time I started a new pack. I assumed that the estrogen withdrawal going into the sugar pills was too much for my body to handle and that the diuretic effects of Yasmin were obviously absent during that time. I also noticed leg cramping, heart palpitations, and I started waking up in the occasional hot sweat in a drenched bed.

So, after making sure that my heart and kidneys were healthy, my gynecologist prescribed continuous hormone Yasmin and claimed it as the "ultimate solution". For 4 months, I have skipped the sugar pills for each pack and started new packages immediately. I have not had a period since, and the edema has continued (still at random) and has become exponentially worse. In the last few weeks alone, the vein in my right leg has become massive, my legs are so distended by the end of the days on which they swellI that I can't fit into pants which are otherwise loose, I am noticing other large veins "surfacing", little veins are breaking everywhere, and I can now see most of the blood vessels beneath the skin in both legs. My primary care physician told me I have chronic venous insufficiency...a diagnosis I'm not okay with. I'm very worried...the changes and ensuing damage have happened way too quickly to be venous insufficiency. I am going to ween myself off of the pill, but don't know what the next step should be. Endocrinologist? Another OB/GYN? Anyone have ideas or similar experiences to share....

basically, this was my experience with the paragard:
1. Dec 2004 - Paragard iud was placed post-partum after my 2nd daughter was born. i was breast-feeding, and had no noticeable symptoms until Nov 2005.
2. Nov 2005 - had my first period since my daughter was born. it was heavy and crampy, but i thought "i haven't had a period in 2 years, so this is the price i pay..."
3. Each period hence was heavy, long at 6-7 days, and cramps were intense. again, i just decided that i could manage.
By the end of 2006, my periods were so bad that my husband and i decided i had to see the doctor.
4. Jan 2007 - saw the doctor about removing the copper IUD. she said that the paragard should not be causing such bad symptoms, and since i was did not want to get pregnant, she decided we should try to control the symptoms with birth control pills and Prometrium. I did not want to try Prometrium since I was unsure of how I would react to the hormone. she believed that i might be suffering from severe pms, called PMDD. note that i loved and trusted this doctor - i had some complications during my 2 pregnancy, and some problems post-delivery, and she was attentive, personable, and caring. i was very comfortable and trusting, so i listened to her recommendations. i tried yaz, yasmin, and 2 other pills over the next 3-5 months, but was extremely nauseous and sick with all of them (plus break-thru bleeding).
5. Feb - September 2007: i started having pre-period symptoms of nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea, abdominal cramps, severe fatigue. the first 2 months that i had these symptoms, they were so bad that i believed that i had an intestinal virus - same cramping, throwing up, and bad diarrhea, plus this was BEFORE my period. I then made the association between my symptoms, and the fact that they occurred 3-5 days before my period, and then they would subside about 3 days after my period started. my periods were still long with heavy bleeding.
6. September 2007 - was having same symptoms, but started 7-10 days before my period, and they were so bad that my husband had to take off from work to take care of our 2 girls each month (i stay home with them). i went back to the doctor during September, and was told to modify my diet (no white flour, sugar, low fat, high protein, lots of water) and to try some vitamin supplements since i didn't want more medications. she again recommended taking 100 mg Prometrium to help ease the symptoms. I asked to remove the IUD, again, and she said that "before she took out something that expensive, she wanted to make sure that something else was not wrong" - I was shocked at her statement, but agian I liked her and trusted her, so i went along for the sonogram.
7. October 2007 - In the meantime, I was desperate, so i took the vitamins and Prometrium, which sent me into what i can describe only as a psychotic episode. i had severe emotional outbursts, i was irrationally angry and irritable, and had absolutely zero patience. i am usually a smart girl, and in my normal "mental state" would have associated that the Prometrium had caused this severe reaction, but I was no where close to my normal state of mind, and i just thought that my physical symptoms were now affecting me mentally.
8. LAte Oct 2007 - BY this time I am so down and really ready to get my life back. I am still sick with nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, severe abdominal cramps, severe fatigue, and now my abdomen stays sore and tender through the whole month. FINALLY the doctor calls with the ultrasound results. she said that there were 2 small ovarian cysts - and i was relieved - i thought that FINALLY, we were getting somewhere - but in the next sentence she said that she didn;t think that they were responsible for my symptoms. i was deflated - and at such a loss of words. i listened to her tell me how she thought that i had IBS, and that she was going to refer me to a GI doctor. i know that IBS is a catch-all category of symptoms that some doctors throw on people they can;t diagnose. and remember, i was just a few days out from recovering from 1) having a severe personality reaction to a drug, and didn't know it was because of the Prometrium - i thought i was going mad, and 2) i was just getting over being sick before my period - AGAIN.
I finally called her back a few hours later and left a message with the nurse "since she doesn;t think that the cysts are causing the symptoms, could we please remove the copper IUD?" i never got a reply.
I called my niece who is an RN at a respected women's health center in NC and cried a lot and told her what was going on. she got me an appointment with a doctor there for mid nov 2007.
10. Mid Nov 2007 - tell the NC doctor my medical history, and she says "we need to get that IUD out". in less than 30seconds it is gone with minimal discomfort, 25% of the abdominal soreness and tenderness is gone within 24 hours of removal, and completely gone within a week. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME IN MONTHS THAT MY TUMMY WAS NOT TENDER OR SORE!!!
i have a follow-up appointment for mid Jan 2008 with the NC doctor and possible placement of the Mirena
11. Nov 29, 2007 - have my first period in over a year where i am not sick etc - it is heavy and a bit crampy, but is shorter in duration.
12. mid dec 2007 - i start to suspect i may be pregnant, but think that we have been cautious, and my period is probably going to be irregular with all of the crap that has gone on
13. jan 5 2008 - yep - i'm pregnant!! but that was ok - we wanted another anyway.
14. jan 7, 2008 - catch the respiratory flu that has been going around and stay VERY sick for 4 weeks, and i just know that something is unusual - i can't eat i am so sick and am so weak that i shake whe i stand up - call a new local OB doctor and see them.
15. jan 30, 2008 - have miscarried the pregnancy
16. April 2008 - the new ob doctor places a mirena
17. first of may 2008 - my husband is asking if i feel ok, that he has seen similar but much less severe symptoms in my mood as when i was on the Prometrium. i have never had acne this severe on my face, neck and back - it actually hurts and i have some scarring even though i have not picked at it.
By the way, my new local OB told me that HE WILL NOT PLACE PARAGARD COPPER IUDS FOR HIS PATIENTS BECAUSE THEY WORK BY CAUSING INFLAMMATION IN THE UTERUS.
however, he also said that i shouldn't have any issues with the mirena, and now i am starting to wonder if i am going slightly mad...
i want my life back...
i now realize that there is a side effect to EVERYTHING that you put in your body...
i am terrified of getting pregnant right now even though a few months ago i was excited about this wonderful possibility...
i am now talking to a counselor to try to work out the events of this past year+ so i can move on...
i feel like my voice was NOT heard or even acknowledged...
the reality is that WE are ultimately responsible for our own well-being, both physical and mental, and that doctors do treat with preconceived notions about the way health should be and how medications and devices should work...they listen to pharmaceutical reps and not their patients...
i don;t know what to do about birth control now...i suspect the mirena is making me feel this way, but i am terrified of getting pregnant, i can't take birth control pills, and am hesitant to put any thing else in my body that is a chemical...however, i have no libido anymore (my poor wonderful husband) and i use to enjoy the closeness and intimacy of being with my husband...
i don't know how this affects your decision about the copper iud, but i just caution about 1) be careful with sex after the mirena is removed and 2) be mindful of anything that we eat or place in our body.
i do know that i could not find any other information from women who experienced my symptoms, but i find it very difficult to believe that i am the only one who experienced this.
lots of luck, and thank you for sharing your experience with the posting site! it has helped me make an informed decision about removing the mirena, and i hope that the information here will help you make an informed decision about the copper iud.

My husband has been taking TriCor 145 for app. 1 year. He is a marathon runner with no history of heart or other health problems. When his doctor first prescribed TriCor, my husband was asymptomatic. His doctor prescribed TriCor to help raise his good cholesterol levels after a brief attempt to correct HDL levels through diet and exercise. Recently, he was hospitalized for three days due to high blood pressure (136/100--no previous problems with blood pressure) and slow heart rate of 37 BPM. His primary care physician has failed to return numerous calls to discuss titrating him off TriCor so he will discontinue use on his own.

I started taking Yaz 3 weeks ago and I am feeling very sick, this headache wont go away ,stomach pain that's constant and dizziness and diarrhea I did not have this pain before, it just started when I started taking Yaz I should have research this Birth Control before I started taking it .Does anyone know how long it takes for this Birth control to be out of your system.

Here's my story, and if anyone has any thoughts of which pill to try next, I'd love to hear them.
A while ago, I had been on Orthocyclen for several years, which worked great for me, but stopped taking the pill back in late 2005 when my long-term relationship ended. I just wanted to give my body a break, you know? I went back on a different pill, Loestrin 24-FE, the middle of 2006, because my doctor wanted me to try something low-dosage, and as a result I had lots of problems with spotting and readjusting to a new pill. Loestrin continued to piss me off with the spotting, which was the only real side effect, but my doctor wanted me to keep with it to see if it lessened. It never did. So in August of 2007, per my doctor's suggestion, I changed to Femcon (great name for a lady vitamin - it sounds like the name of a Transformer), and around this time started to notice some mild dizziness.
I'm in great shape and very healthy and active. Last summer I even ran a half marathon, and about a week later the dizziness started. At this point I didn't even consider that the dizziness could be related to the new pill.
The dizziness was steady, and I was starting to have some problems focusing on my computer monitor at work, so I finally saw my primary care physician, who referred me to a neurologist. He did some minor tests with me, and based on the results, told me he thought I was getting migraines. I've never had migraines before in my life, so this was all new to me. And it was interesting because I didn't really get headaches, just dizziness and lightheadedness and some blurred or jumpy vision. It definitely starting freaking me out, and even impacted my running because I didn't know if I'd lose my balance (I never did, but still) when out for a run. I'm 31 years old, by the way. The neurologist finally suggested the link between the dizziness and the pill, and suggested I try something even lower dosage. So I switched to Yaz.
I'm in my second month of it, and trying to power through to finish the pill pack just so I don't mess up my period too much, and I am a disaster. I should also mention I've had some major life changes as of late, moving to a new city, new job, and newly living with my boyfriend, so I'm sure this plays a part. But I have been an absolute train wreck since I started Yaz. The dizziness has gotten far worse, making me feel like I'm in a fog, sort of detached, hard to focus. Been awful to my boyfriend, when only weeks ago we were SO EXCITED to finally be living together and having this crazy adventure together. He asks me now why we can't just be happy. I get annoyed so easily, have had massive mood swings, and several panic attacks. Everything you all are describing - heart palpitations, headaches, nausea, insomnia. All the things I used to love to do, especially going out and exploring and being social (I just moved to NYC for god's sake!!!) are daunting and almost terrifying, and all I want to do is lay on the couch at home and hope the dizziness subsides. I was seriously contemplating psychological therapy, and my boyfriend was trying to get me to try yoga, but how could I possibly even do the poses when I can barely balance myself?? The only time I feel remotely normal is when I force myself to go for a run and just try to power through the light headedness.
I am finishing up the pack on Friday even though I should take it through the middle of next week, and I'm going to give myself a couple months off and go back to sucky condoms just to try and clear my head. Then I'm going to see if my doc will put me back on Orthocyclen.
Has anyone else experienced dizziness or light headedness on these pills? Have you found a pill that works for you?
Any suggestions on which birth control pill (or method) I should try next? I'm so tired of putting hormones in my body, but I'm not ready for kids yet and really hate condoms. I was looking into the ring but I hear that's just as bad. Sigh. If only they could do temporary vasectomies.

Hi everyone,

I am a 25 year old female who was diagnosed with Crohn's disease one year ago. I stumbled on this website and wanted to share my experiences to let others know they are not alone and that their side effects due to Prednisone are completely normal.

In Nov of 2007, I was in the hospital for a Crohn's flare up and was put on prednisone through IV (240mg/day). After a three days I was released, but one week later, had another flare up and was back in the hospital in December of 2007. This time, I stayed for 6 days and was on 240mg/day again through IV, along with taking Flagyl and fluids for my flare up and infection.

At first, I lost about 10 lbs due to the flare up and all of the medication I was on. However, within 3 weeks time, I gained 28 lbs and was a complete mess. I looked different, felt different and was emotionally and mentally drained.

My side effects included: Severe moon face, buffalo hump, increased appetite, hair thinning and severe hair loss, night sweats where I would have to change pajamas 3-4x a night, OCD to the point where I would have to clean my entire apartment (even if it was already clean), restlessness, anxiety, no sleep and sometimes I would go days without sleeping, increased thirst and dehydration, swollen eyes and headaches, depression and mood swings, upper and lower abdomen swelling and weight gain (28 lbs in 3 weeks), suicidal thoughts, unbearable muscle and joint swelling and aching, forgetfulness and memory loss, blurred vision and dark hair growth on my face near my sideburns and underneath my chin and on the bottom portion of my face. Bottom line: it was unbearable and nobody warned me about the harsh side effects of the drug.

When I left the hospital, I was put on 60mg/day and eventually weaned off Prednisone over the course of 2 1/2 months and took my last 5mg dose in mid- February 2008.

It is now 2 months since I have been off Prednisone and as of now, I have only lost 7 lbs, but much of the moon face has gone away and I don't seem as swollen in my chest. My appetite returned to normal the day I stopped taking the drug and my mood swings subsided one week after stopping Prednisone. I still have the buffalo hump, but it stopped hurting and I am now able to sleep through the night. The fluid retention seems to have moved south towards my legs, arms, and lower abdomen. My doctors say that within about 6 months after stopping Prednisone, most of the fluid retention should go away and they recommend walking for 45-60 minutes/day to help with the fluid/weight gain.

Overall, prednisone helped to save my life and put my Crohn's into remission, but is one of the WORST drugs I have ever taken. My heart goes out to anyone who has had to take this drug and trust that you are not alone--and the side effects are real and they are harsh. I am slowly seeing that it takes time for the prednisone to leave your system and my doctors say that every day there is less and less in my body.

Stay positive, stay active & stay Healthy!!

I posted this on Mar 15th regarding my experience with Topamax...

I took Topamax for only 4 days. I ended up in the ER on Feb 22nd because I felt like I was going to pass out, getting dizzy, couldn't concentrate or think, numbness, rapid heart beat, shortness of breath and this was intensified by anxiety from all this stuff going on. I stopped taking it immediately. I have had episodes of these same side effects since then. I had these side effects last week and missed 3.5 days of work. I have been doing pretty good this week but today I had to leave work because the same side effects came back. I had to have someone come pick me up form the side of the interstate half way on my way home because it got so intense I could not drive. My doctors have done blood work and I am waiting for the results.

Since then, here is an updated on my side effects and what has been found by my doctors. I really hope this helps someone since this was very devastating for me. It got so bad I had to go on Medical Leave from work due to the side effects.

I had 10 tests run on my blood and tests and pictures done on my heart and everything checked out to be normal. Apparently since this medicine messes with the chemicals in your brain, it also has the capability of turning on anxiety, depression, panic attacks, etc. My primary care doctor, my neurologist, my cardiologist and a stated licensed counselor/therapist all have diagnosed me with anxiety leading up to panic attacks. Basically what I was told by my counselor was that my level of anxiety in my brain was turned on so high, it didn't know to come back down after I stopped the medicine. Now anything can set it off and it's quickly escalates into a panic attack without control. I was so bad that I was having anxiety/panic attacks about merging into traffic, going to work, going through the drive thru at McDonald's, going to WalMart and just anything in general. I started a medicine that controls anxiety and I have been on it for a week. Although I still get anxiety, I am able to control it and it's not escalating into the panic attacks. The best thing is with this type of medicine is that it can take "a couple of weeks" before it's built up into my system, so this should take care of it. I was advised with some counseling to learn how to control my anxiety and some medicine, this can be taken care of. I just have to allow my brain to get the levels of anxiety back down to normal levels and then I can eventually stop taking the medicine.

My fifteen year old son—all star athlete, good student, always following the rules has been through hell and back with this too, and is still feeling the stigma. After being on Singulair about 6 months, he started hearing and seeing things. He woke the whole house up one night with a blood-curdling scream. We immediately sought help and i started investigating the side-effects of Singulair. Every doctor we spoke too, Primary care, Allergy specialist, and 2 psychiatrists, discounted my theory that the Singulair might be causing all this. He did express having depressed emotions and thoughts of suicide. This kid had no previous pre-existing conditions that would account for these symptoms. Thank god the Psychs ruled out schizophrenia, which was what we were all afraid of, including my very intuitive son. I NOW FEEL LIKE I HAVE TO DO SOMETHING. This is so wrong. I tried to speak up about it and was swept under the rug many times. Please tell me if there are lucrative organizations i can report this too. My kids has been emotionally injured from this drug and it seems there are many more that have actually years from their childhood.

I am a 60 year old woman,and was on Singulair in 2000 for the treatment of asthma. At the same time I was put on inhalers Flovent and Serevent, taking the inhalers twice a day. Almost immediately, I began waking up at night, screaming my lungs out, having a very strong, vivid feeling that my heart had stopped, the blood was draining from my head and arms and this was my last breath and I was dead! It scared the hell out of me. After calming down I would go back to sleep and it would happen again. Sometimes it would happen 10 - 12 times a night, and sometimes even while I was awake. It wasn't a dream. It frequently was accompanied by a restless leg. I spoke to my allergist, my primary care doctor and a pharmacist, and all said it wasn't related to my drugs. I had a sleep test and woke up screaming my lungs out, scaring the night-shift technician, but nothing showed up on the tests. This went on for about 6 months, and then I quit taking the inhalers at night. My "night terrors" eased off a bit to only once every couple of nights, but didn't go away. I quit taking Singulair and Serevent after about 2 years, and only then did the terrors really subside. I had thought they were caused by the Serevent alone, but after reading these stories I suspect it was a combination of the 2 drugs. I still have the terrors a couple of times a year, generally preceded by a restless leg.

I've been taking Metoprolol for moderate high blood pressure since July2007.
I've been dealing with weight gain....nightmares....sleep disturbances and more within weeks since I began.
I wasn't sure what was going on with me.
I'm 55 and attributed all this to some sort of midlife crisis or something psychological.
I've contacted my primary care physician and will hopefully have an appointment within the next several days.
In the mean time I was told to STOP taking the medication and that he will assess my BP and alternative meds when we meet for my appointment.

I originally posted my side effects on January 8, 2007. I had been taking Lisinopril for about 1 year prior. The dry hacking cough was driving me mad, so my cardiologist switched me to ATATCAND on February 9. On February 28 I posted that I had my first full day without a cough. Well, it is now March 24 and I have been cough-free for 3 weeks. Most of the other side effects have subsided also.
I know that only a small percentage of people taking this drug report this side effect. I normally do not react to any medications, but this stuff is poison, literally. I wonder if only a small number of people have side effects, or if more people have them, but do not report them, or are treated with other meds for their problems.
If you have a dry hacking cough and think it may be related to Lisinopril, don't wait. See your doctor and tell him that you are allergic to ACE inhibitors. It is well know by my primary care doctor as well as my cardiologist that this allergy exists.

i just started my 7 month pack and ever since last month, while on the active pills, my heart seems to flutter or feels like its skipping beats. it does it alot and it scares me because i am scared i am going to have a heart attack or something. do you think its from femcon and if so, should i stop taking them?